Jari Genser

Jari Genser, born in 1983 in Salzburg, Austria, lives and works in Vienna. In 2010, he received his diploma in psychology; in 2013, his bachelor’s degree in Spanish—both from the University of Vienna; and in 2016, his diploma from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in Jan Svenungsson’s graphic design and printmaking class.

In his work, Jari Genser proves himself to be an attentive observer and a precise depictor. He captures moments with the utmost accuracy, places them within the flow of time, and reexamines them from a distance. Michael Haneke once described precision as the “measure of artistic value” that “delights in and of itself.”

Genser’s painting explores time, space, and light in a realistic style. The appearance of objects is determined by light. Light transforms a scene, the atmosphere, and the mood. The emotions evoked in the viewer vary widely. The effect is immediately palpable, as in his paintings of radiant building facades against a brilliant blue sky. Genser reflects on the act of seeing and brings all of this into conscious awareness.

Of course, every painting arises from the artist’s own experience—his own sensations and cognitive processes, imbued with personal experiences. Genser cannot and does not claim to offer an “objective” perception that is valid for everyone. Genser is aware of this—as both an artist and a psychologist. He does not allow himself to be overwhelmed or ensnared by his subjectivity. He does not make it the guiding principle of his creative process. He is not concerned with ultimate truths, but with truthfulness, which is the prerequisite for lasting understanding.

Jari Genser’s works invite us to contemplate and offer us a careful exploration of the world. What is seen and depicted is freed from any ordinary transience—the kind that leads us to glance briefly rather than look closely, to fail to commit it to memory, and thus to fail to comprehend it.

David Hockney has described looking as the essential task of art. Art changes not only what we see, but also the way we see. That is to say: how we perceive the world and how we engage with it. Genser transforms everyday perceptions—inspired in part by literature and contemporary media—into precise, realistic visual worlds. From his watchful gaze emerge interior and exterior spaces that invite us to pause and reveal the quiet beauty of the ordinary.